Basic Blog Tips

Keep Google Chrome, Gmail and WiseStamp Up To Date

Google Chrome is by far one of the best browsers available on the internet. In case you didn't know, back in May of this year, Google Chrome edged out Internet Explorer to become the most widely used browser around. I especially think that all bloggers should use Google Chrome even if they only use it as a second browser. There are so many Chrome extensions that help us get our work done more efficiently and over the past 2 years I've heard from hundreds of bloggers who have left their beloved Firefox behind and ditched it for Google Chrome. Here are the latest stats I got from Stats Counter showing Browser usage from May of 2012 through October 2012.

Updating Google Chrome

With all the praise I heap onto Google Chrome I will admit that every now and then it begins to hiccup.

Since I'm a big YouTube addict and even when I'm not watching videos, I'm recording them myself so you can just imagine that it's a major nuisance for me when Google Chrome stops working. The good thing is that I figured out months ago (maybe it was back in May come to think of it) that the easy way to resolve these hiccups is to simply update to the latest version of Chrome.

Whenever you think Google Chrome is behaving strangely, simply go to the toolbar, find the icon for the browser manager on the far right, open the pull down menu and click “About Google Chrome” as shown below:

The next screenshot shows what you'll see while the Google Chrome browser is being updated (the current update is from version 22 to version 23:

Next you'll be prompted to relaunch Google Chrome to complete the update:

Now your browser is up to date (currently running Google Chrome version 23):

Oh but there is one more thing I want you to do in order to get the most out of using Google Chrome!

But I need to tell you a little story first…

Gmail Adds New Compose Window

Gmail is another free tool that Google provides that has drastically changed my online life. At this point I think you are starting to get the idea that I'm a huge fan of the big G, and Gmail is partly responsible for that. Recently Matt Cutts talked about how Google dedicates resources to making improvements and innovations on Gmail. One of the latest iterations is the new Compose feature and if you haven't seen it yet, here's an example of what it looks like:

At first glance, I wasn't too sure I wanted to use the new Gmail Compose feature. While it seemed like a handy tool, it was missing something I really like which is my WiseStamp signature (more about why I like WiseStamp later). I had some discussion about this over on Google + with my friend Francisco Perez aka DiTesco and WiseStamp was working for him with the new Compose feature, but not for me. A day or so later, I reached out to the folks and WiseStamp and found out they just rolled out an update their Google Chrome extension so it would work with the new Compose feature of Gmail.

Sure enough, when I went back and checked again and it was working on my computer too. I hope you can see the difference as my contact information now appears as a signature (thanks to WiseStamp) in the Gmail Compose window on the screenshot below:

Update Your Google Chrome Extensions Too!!

I had to include that little back story so that I could give credit to the folks at WiseStamp for sharing this last tip I have for keeping your Chrome browser up to date. One last thing you need to do in order to have every new feature possible is update your Google Chrome extensions as well.

Yes, it's an extra step, but it's super simple too. Just open a new browser window and navigate to this link which shows a listing of all the Google Chrome extensions and apps that are installed on your browser chrome://chrome/extensions

At the top of the page be sure you have developer mode turned on and then click the button to update your extensions:

That was a lot of information so let's recap:

Use Google Chrome

Keep it updated and update your extensions too! (It's a 2 step process but both steps are super simple)

I'm a blogger, podcaster, YouTuber and social media diva (or Social Media Veteran if you like the way that sounds better). True story: I started blogging by accident when I actually thought I was "subscribing" to my daughter Nicole's first blog. Since then I'm committed to helping others avoid all the mistakes I've made along the way. Get one-on-one coaching and exclusive perks when you join my community on Patreon!

I’m a BIG fan of Google chrome, in fact, I’ve never used mozilla, IE or someother browser for web surfing. I’m the power use of chrome, not only because it’s fast, it’s REALLY easy to use. Nevertheless to say it’s extensions and features.

I find Google Chrome provides a better browsing experience, but I still have not switched away from Firefox where all my bookmarks are. I know, lame reason not to switch right?

Besides Gmail, if you have a blog you probably (or should) have your own domain. If you have your own domain, by all means you should also be using free Standard Edition of Google Applications. The calendaring with task lists and email and online docs can really go a long way to more productivity.

I’m also a big fan of Chrome like Rahul Kuntala and that is because it has worked best in my PC compared to Firefox/Opera/IE. But few months back, sometimes it used to crash. The problem is solved now cause I keep the latest updated version of Chrome.

I had never used WiseStamp because generally I use Gmail in basic HTML version to keep it quick. But I’ll try it now.

Hi Mahaveer, I hope you don’t notice any slowness when you switch and start using WiseStamp. Keep me posted on that because I never tried the HTML version. I’m not accustomed to it. Thanks for the comment.

Thanks for the thorough article, I agree that Google Chrome is really a best browser because it gave a new dimensions to web browsing with it’s Chrome Webstore, where not only web designers/blogger can get apps but a common internet user could also kill his time by using many smart apps!
And Gmail is my all time favorite web mail service 🙂

Hi Joe, it took me awhile to get use to Gmail at first. Now I can’t imagine what I would do without it! This new Compose feature is one more perk that I can’t find in my Yahoo mail so I think it’s really awesome.

I like goggle chrome. Specially when it comes for quick search. But What I feel bad is about TEXT Rendering. Google chrome cannot render webfonts naturally, like Firefox can do. The second thing is firebug : theirs a light version available for chrome. And I usually get lots of hangs using it..

But I was little bit surprised with the statistics shown above. Still so many peoples use IE…just amazing, I mean .. huh just leave it..

Yeah I switched from Firefox to Chrome. Firefox on Apple keeps eating up all my CPU usage. Very annoying! It’s a common problem for Apple with Firefox. I wish there was a extention for FTP for Chrome though. Maybe, I haven’t just found one.

I love firefox and I’m addicted to it. All my passwords are saved here and I’m just comfortable with it. My brother on the other hand is addicted to Chrome and he too suggested me to make the jump to Chrome. I guess I’ll have to take a test drive and see what happens. Thanks for that wonderful video on Wisestamp, that’s a great feature.

I am a big fan of Google’s products including chrome. I sign up for most of their beta. They’re very innovative, and while I don’t like all of their designs, like tags vs folders in gmail, I’m over all happy with what they come up with.

Yes, I’m too using Google Chrome for long. These days its very rare that it crashes.
I’m really loving the new compose feature of GMail. Its truly much more usable and convenient. Just minimize the compose panel when you need to take reference of other conversations and pop it up to continue composing. Really sweet!
Thanks for the information.

Because I use two Macs and an iPhone for my personal life and blogging work, I tend to navigate towards Safari. Apple doesn’t have many extensions and things like that for Safari, but I always found them to get in the way when I used Firefox anyway.

That being said, Chrome is the best browser for Windows and the second best (after Safari) for Macs. This is only because Apple makes Safari and the Mac OS so it just runs faster. All in all, Chrome beats Firefox and IE.

Hi Ian,
Based on what you just said, I’m surprised to see that Safari doesn’t have a bigger market share than what they do now. It looks like they are losing users rather than gaining them. I know that most of my friends who are on Mac use Chrome in addition to Safari but that is mostly because they are Google + users. The other day my friend Ronnie Bincer mentioned in an interview that he switched to Chrome because of all the Google+ extensions.

Chrome is great, and I like that they have so many free apps and extensions. As you said, there are several that are very useful in terms of productivity and organization. I have also experienced the shockwave issue and very much appreciate the tip!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE chrome. However, I wish it were more compatible with internet printing. It’s hard for me to use chrome and print online on some sites. I have to then switch to IE and I print without an issue, except for the huge lag that IE puts on my PC.

Thanks Ileane for such a great pot! Personally I am a big fan of Google Chrome and I am using it since it was launched. I frequently update it and the apps and extensions that it provides are certainly a lifesaver in my work. the extensions are also great for personal uses too and I am glad to know that it has outrun Internet explorer.

hi,
“Google chrome is the best browser” it is agreeable. i too get fed up when finding some messages as Flash player crashed and so on. it would be better if chrome gets updated on its own. we often get to a fine, fast browser for watching videos and so if this defect is overcome that will be great, i agree with all your ideas and facts about chrome.
thanks for providing such useful information.

I’m a big fan of firefox but still I do use Google Chrome continuously, However I haven’t updated Google Chrome manually.. it automatically gets updated and that’s the thing I like about Google Chrome.

As far as Gmail is concerned, I’m really liking this new tiny compose box.

Hi Aasma, I like to update Chrome manually, but only if I notice it behaving strangely when I’m watching a YouTube video. I guess you can imagine that I watch a ton of YouTube vids 🙂
Thanks for your comment.

I gave up using other browsers long ago. Even though Chrome sometimes does get stuck, I never thought of giving it up. And after these useful little tips are out, I wouldn’t even have to think about doing so. Good Job. Very helpful. Thanks for the post 🙂

Excellent point! I’m glad you mentioned the sync feature of Chrome. I forget about that because currently I’m not using it. Simply because I have different extensions that I use on various computers. To be honest, if I had the sync turned on I would not have been able to grab all of these lovely screenshots of how to update Chrome. I used my work laptop to grab the screenshots, so in that case its a good thing I’m not syncing them.

I have tried Google Chrome but ended up going back to FireFox, I found it better. I am a HUGE believer is regularly updating though, in fact every month I go through every program on my laptop and make sure I am running the latest versions.

Great info. But why you feel lucky by not using FIREFOX. Yes, Google Chrome is the best but firefox is also good. I am using it for long time and now switched to chrome from a short time back. But I also like firefox and it’s add ons.

I had to think about that one for a sec. I guess I feel lucky because I didn’t have to go through the process of comparing the two browsers. At this point there are so many extensions available for Chrome, I can’t imagine why I would ever “need” to download Firefox. So it’s just one less thing to worry about.

Thanks for the great question, I like when people make me put on my thinking cap.

I am a big fan of chrome and has become my primary browser. Although I do use firefox some times and explorer for check purposes, I do not often update chrome and your post compels me to do so. Thank you for highlighting this important action.

Google Chrome compares to other is so much better than other browsers for me. Fast is everybody need so I greatly recommend Google Chrome for others. And between Firefox and IE9 then I would recommend Firefox.

If you compare with any other browser google chrome is much better, but i have found many times its crashes, but if you reinstall in proper channel then its work fine and faster then any other web browsers.

What do I think of Chrome? Well, it’s on my computer and if both other browsers fail me, I fire it up. Looks like I better play with it some more. Two things of note:
1 – I recently updated my adobe flash player, and if I remember correctly, one has to uncheck to box to avoid downloading Chrome. Talk about an endorsement!
2 – I periodically glance at the browsers being used by visitors to my clients sites. Locally, the results show that Chrome is much less used than IE. Maybe the usage of Chrome is due mostly to international users???

Hi Randall, I’m not sure about the difference between international users and Chrome usage. I do know that different content and websites attract different browsers. For example on the website for my day job, IE is still the top browser, but we do have a large number of international visitors do I think it just depends on the niche.

Hi Ileane!
I find Google Chrome provides a better browsing experience, but I still have not switched away from Firefox where all my bookmarks are. I know, lame reason not to switch right..
Besides Gmail, if you have a blog you probably (or should) have your own domain. If you have your own domain, by all means you should also be using free Standard Edition of Google Applications. The calendaring with task lists and email and online docs can really go a long way to more productivity.
Well, it’s on my computer and if both other browsers fail me, I fire it up. Looks like I better play with it some more.

I have not used ie for years and hopefully no one else that has a choice in the matter is. I had been a long time Mozilla user, but lets face it Chrome is the fastest browser and it just works. If it wasn’t for checking for cross-browser compatibly I would not touch anything else.

Thank for telling about Google chrome. Different people like different browser to solve their work, by the way i am using Mozilla Firefox till now but when i read your post it’s clear to me that Google chrome is better than any other browser. Now i will try to use Google chrome because it has more feature and good speed.

Hi, I recently started using Iron Portable which is actually a portable Google Chrome version. I am impressed by its performance against Internet Explorer and Firefox, it really is faster than both of these. Anyone, who does not want the Chrome to claim any space in their C drive and use minimum system resources along with good speed, should definitely try Iron Portable Browser. I find Google Chrome and Firefox kind of heavy on the system resources.

I used to use Chrome but then I got a virus on it. It’s some weird redirect virus so every site I go on, it redirects me to a certain site which is really annoying. I switched over to firefox but that was slow.

That being said, if anyone has Chrome issues, there’s a browser exactly like it. Even uses chrome apps too. It’s called iron browser and I’m using it right now.
So yeah use Chrome or Iron.

Hi, I just read this article and thinking about using Google Chrome ( I have Firefox). However, I am no techy and I was wondering (please don’t laugh at my ignorance I am trying very hard to learn this tech stuff) couldn’t I use both and just click on the little icon to use the Firefox (for the Firefox Firebug I use) when I want and click on the Google Chrome icon when I want to use that??
Also, If I did chose to go with Google Chrome do I have to go in and delete all my Firefox files in my computer?
Will I have to redo my bookmarks???
Thanks

Joan, actually this is an excellent question! The answer is yes.
You can keep Firefox and install Google Chrome. They won’t bother each other and if you want you can import bookmarks from FF into Chrome or just leave them in FF or both.

Actually I’m not so interested to use Google Chrome because at first I was using Firefox, but I am sure that Ms. Ileane giving the right advice for us, So, from now I will try to learn to use Google Chrome.
Thanks so much Ms. Ileane for your tips.

I’m a big fan of Big G myself. Have you checked out their latest update with a tabbed interface! I’ts briljant, advertising and social email go wright into the tab where you can check them out when you have some spare time.

I am using Google Chrome from the past two years and it’s works best for me. Due to it’s cool features and faster performance, i will recommend it to others.

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About Ms. Ileane

I'm a blogger, podcaster, YouTuber and social media diva (or Social Media Veteran if you like the way that sounds better). True story: I started blogging by accident when I actually thought I was "subscribing" to my daughter Nicole's first blog. Since then I'm committed to helping others avoid all the mistakes I've made along the way. Get one-on-one coaching and exclusive perks when you join my community on Patreon!Read More…